I am an author, ecologist, filmmaker, and President of the Dancing Star Foundation (www.dancingstarfoundation.org) from which some of my recent non-fiction works (with Jane Gray Morrison) are available, including: Sanctuary: Global Oases of Innocence (Foreword by the 4th Queen of Bhutan); God's Country: The New Zealand Factor (Preface by PETA's President, Ingrid Newkirk), and Donkey: The Mystique of Equus Asinus.
As for my fiction, recent works are available from Zorba Press (http://zorbapress.com/?page_id=90).
My most intense and sweeping novel is the 1836-page illustrated ecological epic - a work of 25 years and research in over 80 countries - The Adventures of Mr. Marigold, available in hardback and e-book.

A Jain Leader Addresses the World

Michael Tobias:And so how should people going to work each morning think about notions like creating a lifestyle and future for themselves and their families?

Shri Chitrabhanuji: We should aspire to create a simple and sustainable life style that meets our need but not necessarily our greed. The purpose of life is not to enter a competition and spend life saying I want to become “like him or her.” This approach is often misunderstood as undermining enterprise and initiative. No. We should all strive to be the best version of ourselves as possible and contribute to the world as much as we can. Each person must set their own boundaries. However, in the pursuit of our aspirations, we should be mindful of the price we are paying on our personal well-being and relationships with others.

Michael Tobias: Is there a Jain “mantra of simplicity?”

Shri Chitrabhanuji: The mantra of simplicity has a lot to offer our debt-ridden world where our needs and desires often out-pace our bank accounts. If we can balance the scales a bit and find more joy in simplicity, a culture can become a savings-society rather than an indebted one. This would create a path to building a sustainable and solid foundation for our children and the community’s future.

Michael Tobias: Speaking of sustainability, which most rational people are thinking about these days – ecologically, economically, politically – do Jains get involved with politics, and if so, could you characterize just a few of the leading points of view that best suggest the key Jain precepts for community life, especially with “sustainability” in mind?

Shri Chitrabhanuji: The main precept for community life amongst Jains is the notion that all life is bound together by mutual support and interdependence (“Paraspar Upagraho Jivanam”). So, in Jain dharma, one does not aspire to “politics.” One aspires to “serve.” The difference is important. And within politics is also embedded the acceptability of competition and defeat. This is a form of violence. So, for Jains, the primary intention is of utmost importance. Is the intention to defeat someone else, or, rather, to serve by bringing out the best from one’s own self? Working with this clarity, a Jain can pursue any cause or mission that is worthwhile for society.

Michael Tobias: You were once a Jain monk. When I first had the opportunity to meet a Jain monk, it was at a temple in Central India. I took off my sandals, and was about to enter the sanctuary when someone gently asked that I remove my watch and leave it outside. I assumed it meant that I was entering a timeless sacred place, and watches were symbols of temporality and attachment, and hence, inappropriate. I later learned it was because my watchband was made of leather, and, of course, most Jains are vegetarian, if not vegan. That was a huge insight for me. In sum, what was life like for you as a Jain monk in India?

Shri Chitrabhanuji: It was a beautiful life. I lived it for 28 years from the age of 22 to 50. I was born into a business family in Rajasthan. But at a young age, I witnessed the death of 3 people dear to me – my mother, my sister and a close friend from college. So, at 22 I became a Jain monk in search of answers. For the first 5 years, I maintained complete silence, except for limited dialogue with my Guru. We lived a minimal lifestyle, roaming from town to town, by foot. We must have walked over 25,000 miles over the years. The life was focused on daily practices, reading, meditating and meeting with the town people. Then, after many years of learning, I began speaking and lecturing broadly.

Michael Tobias: And your first travels abroad?

Shri Chitrabhanuji: In 1970, I was invited to the Second Spiritual Summit conference in Geneva and the Third Spiritual Summit conference at Harvard Divinity in 1971. I saw these as an opportunity to share the principles of Jain dharma with the Western world.

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I truly enjoyed this article. Not only did it relate a deeper understanding of the meaning of Jainism, or as Shri Chitrabhanuji put it, Jain dharma, but it envoked in me, personally, a poignant self-evaluation of the actions and ideals that we humans hold so important in our daily lives. The article also reminded me of the wonderful unity of thought that exists across the wide spectrum of religious beliefs from east to west – peace, love and goodwill…maybe it’s not all that hard after all!

This is a very deep and meaningful dialogue between Dr. Michael Tobias and Guru Chitrabhanuji. But I almost missed 80% of it because when one logs onto Forbes, there is only page ONE and NO MENTION of five pages. People need to know this is a FIVE PAGE article. I only found out when I hit “comment” and “follow” (Tobias). There is no way, otherwise, to find the full article. Is this is a glitch in the computer programming or something? That is not my forte but I fear most readers are only seeing page one.

Truly, I am worried that most readers are going to miss out on what is a masterful, profound, life-altering five page conversation between two major planetary figures. It could change the course of history if people would read it (especially before the upcoming presidential election!!) It is now overwhelmingly clear that the Jain ethical tradition is the most important ecological wake-up call on Earth.

Thank you for your comment. I have looked into the “glitch” you are referring to and – indeed – on a non-pc computers I have seen this same problem, but not on PCs.I don’t know what to say except that I am grateful to you for calling this out to the attention of readers. To miss 4 of the 5 pages of this piece would be a very significant loss for readers. So I hope everyone reads your comment. For those who experience your same issue, and see only page one (ending with the two Jain kids in Puja) they need to click on COMMENT and that will automatically lead them to the remaining four subsequent pages. Thanks again Michael

This is one of the best conducted interviews of Chitrabhanuji we have ever read. His message is lighthouse for Individuals, Societies, Families and Nations to bring “Peace, Progress and Prosperity” in their lives without creating any stress or tensions in their life or others.

Shri Chitrabhanuji’s wise words reminded me of the saying of Gautama Buddha: “When we have learned to love not our separate life, but all living things, then at last we shall find peace.” There is a beautiful confluence is this notion: what we do that genuinely benefits the planet, will benefit our own individual life. Thus, if we are compassionate to other persons and other species, this compassion brings us a deep inner joy. Thank you for this extraordinary interview — which I will read again and again — filled with ideas that are both useful, illuminating, and profound.